How do aboriginals from Australia cook witchetty grubs?

Witchetty grubs *are large white larvae that are found in the roots and rotting wood of different types of eucalypt trees, particularly the Witchetty Bush (Acacia kempeana) which is native to central Australia.*

Before European settlement, Indigenous Australians in some areas considered these grubs to be seasonal delicacies and would eagerly await the onset of the warmer weather when they were at their most abundant and their fat content at its highest. 

These grubs were an important source of food for many Aboriginal people for tens of thousands of years. 

Ways of Cooking the Witchetty Grub:

* Roasted over coals or heated on hot coals inside paperbark 

* Cooked in hot ashes 

* Cooked on the coals in hot coals mixed with the ashes 

* Roasted on the coals in a fire of mulga wood 

* Cooked on a heated flat stone

Method:

1. Dig for the grubs. They can be found in rotting logs about half a metre underground.

2. Grab the ends of the grub and pull it out. You may have to dig around a bit to loosen it.

3. Cook the grubs. They can be roasted over hot coals, cooked on a hot rock or in a campfire. 

4.  Eat the grubs. They can be eaten whole or the head can be removed and the body eaten.

Tips: 

* Cook for 30 seconds up to 1 minute if you want the creamy interior.

* Cook longer for a crunchy texture.

* Eat them with some salt and pepper, or add them to a salad or stir-fry.